A mass shooting, a hostage situation, and a bomb…all at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport. Thankfully, this was all staged. If it ever did happen, though, first responders and emergency personnel need to be ready to spring into action, so they regularly hold trainings like this one at the airport. You can watch a MaconBibbTV video with sights and sounds from the training exercise by clicking here.

“Holding a type of exercise like this, and bringing all the responding agencies together to coordinate their efforts and to learn from each other on how to respond in such an incident, helps us be better prepared,” says Airport Operations Manager Blake Roy, who coordinated this year’s exercise.

Nearly two dozen agencies were involved in this year’s drill, and even the men and women who acted as the victims and shooters played a pivotal role in the simulation. The more realistic they were, the better the agencies could respond and practice what they know. That translates into a stronger response in case something like this were to ever actually happen.

“It doesn’t always happen in big cities like New York, Chicago, L.A.,” said Emergency Management Agency Director Spencer Hawkins, “It happens in small towns and small communities, and everyone needs to be prepared.”

To follow along with the Middle Georgia Regional Airport, you can follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And to follow those working to keep you and your family safe, follow the Emergency Management Agency and The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.